The Softer Side of Sunshine
by Sunshine3
Summary: *FINISHED 5/22* Sunshine just got dumped...what will come next? He's distraught and seeks the comfort of a classmate. He unknowingly becomes a pawn in a game of vengefulness and deceit. A spin-off of "Forever and Beyond" by Kora & myself -w/Jel too!-
1. She Dumped Me! (*Disclaimer*)

**The Softer Side of Sunshine**

**Disclaimer: **Everyone in this story, with the exception of Julianna McConnell, Christopher Reed, Mr. Sims, and Stacey belong to Disney. Please don't sue me…I have no money…I am making no money from this story. I want to thank Kora for all of her helpfulness with this as well! All I have is an expando of debate files and a stupid debate partner, both of which you are welcomed to anyway. Please take my debate partner…

_It's an average day at T.C.Williams High School. A tall blonde football player who is about 17 years old is seen walking down a crowded hallway. A few students greet him although he seems to be unaware. He keeps running into people but appears to be obliviously lost in thought._

'I can't believe she dumped me!' Sunshine thought to himself. 'I was so stupid to think she'd ever like me in that way. You know, it figures that the first nice girl I meet here would love someone else. I'm so stupid.'

It wasn't like Sunshine to think so negatively about himself, but this time he felt justified. J, the girl he had developed a crush on after first meeting her & whom he had thought liked him as much as he liked her, was in love with someone else. Not that this was a major shock to him...J and Alan had been toying with the idea of being a couple for a while now anyway.

Those few moments right before it had happened had been replaying in his head for what seemed to be forever. J had come to his house late the night before. "That should have tipped me off," he thought dejectedly. He remembered her words exactly.

***

"I think we'd better," she had stated as she sat next to him. "I've come to talk to you about our relationship. I…I don't think that I feel about you the way you feel about me. I'm really, really sorry. This just isn't going to work. I'm sorry. I hope that we can still be friends," was what she had come to tell him. 

"Ok, J, if that's what you want then that's fine with me," he quietly responded, as if he had any choice in the matter. With that, he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. And, just as quickly and unexpectedly as she had come, J retreated, leaving him there to ponder her sudden decision in the dark and the cold. 

The night had seemed endless as he laid in bed meditating on her comments. The only conclusion Ronnie had been able to reach was that the whole thing had some link to Alan.

***

His suspicions were confirmed the following day as word spread quickly that Alan and J were finally together. The news had left Sunshine with mixed emotions.

'In any event,' he realized, 'I can't change what happened and I'm going to have to deal with it. And it's not like Alan's a bad guy or anything like that...' Ronnie's thoughts were interrupted by the calls of Christopher Reed, one of his classmates.

"Hey Ronnie!" the tall, dark haired guy interjected.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" Ronnie's usual energy was noticeably missing.

"What's wrong? You look like you lost your best friend," commented Chris.

"Pretty close to it...Julianna McConnell and I broke up last night," he said with a sigh. "I thought we really had something, you know, but..." Ronnie tried to continue, but was to overcome to finish.

"Come with me," his friend suggested. Too upset to contest, he followed.

The pair moved quickly down the hall, earning them the stares of more than a few curious classmates. How odd it must have seemed to see the football player breaking down in the hall. Nevertheless, they rounded the corner and entered an abandoned classroom. Christopher guided Ronnie to a nearby desk, sat him down, and handed him some tissues.

"It'll be ok, really," he encouraged in an attempt to help his friend. Ronnie, however, now realized that he had a second problem.

"Oh no! All of those people saw me make a blubbering fool of myself! What if someone tells J? She'll think I'm pathetic! I'll never be able to face her again…" he rambled.

"Whoa there, buddy!" Chris exclaimed, "One thing at a time, alright? Now, this chick…why'd she break things off?"

"She's in love with someone else. I guess I should have seen it coming. I'm not even sure why I bothered," Sunshine remarked.

"Who's the mystery man?" he questioned.

"Alan," was all Ronnie could say.

"Ouch. I guess that was bound to happen eventually. So are they a couple now or what?"

"Yeah, they're together. How haven't you heard already? It was all over school by fifth period! He walked her to her seat in class…they were holding hands…it was horrible!" he cried.

"So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to say anything to Alan?" Chris questioned. His glare held the promise of a plan.

"No, I can't. Alan's still my friend. It's not his fault they fell in love. What did you have in mind?" Ronnie asked. Now he was curious as to what Chris had up his sleeve.

"A little revenge," the senior replied with a smirk. "Meet me in the art room after school. Come prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"Anything," he said mischievously. 

And with that said, he hurried off, leaving Sunshine with his box of tissues to ponder exactly what Chris was planning to have him do.

'Come prepared, huh? I wonder what he meant by that…' Sunshine thought to himself. 'I guess I'll just have to trust him…what a scary idea…'


	2. Chris's Plan

'Revenge…on who? It's not J's fault she loves Alan…and I don't blame him for this either…' Ronnie thought to himself. But before he could debate the concept further, the dismissal bell sounded.

            'Well, I guess I'm about to find out,' he decided. Upon formal dismissal from history class, he proceeded to pack his things and head to the art room. Chris was waiting there for him.

            "Are you ready to get even?" he questioned.

            "Before I agree, what am I getting myself into?" Sunshine responded.

            "You are going to show Julianna McConnell that just because she's not into you that it doesn't mean that other girls aren't," he remarked with a devilish grin.

            "How are you going to manage that one?"

            "Leave that to me…so, are you game?"

            "Uh, I guess so. Do you really think this will work? You don't know J like I do. By the way, if she hears you referring to her as 'Julianna', she will hurt you without giving it a second thought, so I'd lay off the full name thing," Ronnie cautioned.

            "What full name thing?" J asked. She and Alan had arrived at the art room without their classmates' knowledge and now stood facing them.

            "Hey guys. It doesn't matter, J, because if we wait around for the explanation, we'll miss the start of the meeting," Alan interjected. Stage crew was very important to him and he was _not_ about to miss the meeting. He and J had decided to do stage crew so they could spend more time together.

            "Well, I can explain it later because that's where we're going too," said Chris.

            This idea was completely foreign to Ronnie. There had been no indication that they were going to stay. Art was definitely not his calling. He shot Chris a questioning glare, but he simply smiled at him. The group walked into the room and grabbed the last open table. A girl also arrived late and sat with them.

            "Hello. My name is Mr. Sims. I'm in charge of the scenery for the play. The groups you are sitting in now are the groups you will be working in…" the portly middle aged teacher said. He was their faculty advisor.

            Sunshine gazed at his table. There was Chris, who was scribbling notes as the teacher gave instructions. Next to him there was an empty seat. Alan was to the right of the empty spot. His arm was resting comfortably around J's waist. The sight of this tore Ronnie's heart in two. It even made his arm ache with emptiness. He quickly diverted his stare to Alan's left, towards J. Her fierce red hair was down today and he longed to run his fingers through it. Next to J was Stacey, a raven-haired girl he knew purely by association. However, he also knew that she and J had been enemies since freshman year when Stacey had cheated on Gerry while they were going together. Chris, incidentally, was one of Stacey's close friends. 

            'Coincidence?' he wondered. 'Maybe…but knowing Chris, it's not likely. Oh well, it's not like I can change it now. At least I have a good group. If I'm gonna be stuck here I might as well make the best of it.'

***

            One hour and three rough-drafts later, the group was about to start painting their first backdrop.

            "Stacey, can you please grab me the green paint? It's on the shelf by the window. Oh, and bring those brushes with you on the way back," Sunshine pointed to a glass full of paintbrushes and smiled.

            "For you gorgeous, anything," she replied as she ran a finger down his arm. Stacey was up and halfway across the room in a matter of seconds.

            "Ugh! How obvious can she be!? Doesn't she have ANY morals?!" J hissed in Alan's general direction. She was fuming. For the past hour, all Stacey had done was flirt shamelessly with Ronnie. J couldn't stand seeing Stacey being all over him like that.

            "Huh? Who are we mad at now? Why don't we like her?" Alan responded, completely naïve to the situation. 

            "Hello Alan!! You have eyes, right?" Alan nodded. "Then how did you miss that? She couldn't have been closer to him if she was in his lap! Something's up--" J's comments were cut short as Stacey arrived.

            She gave the brushes to Alan, the tube of paint to Chris, and a dirty look to J. As J was about to return the gesture, Alan shot her a look that clearly said, 'Be the better person.' J scowled, knowing he had a point.

"To save time, maybe we should split into two teams. Three people can paint and two can draw the next backdrop. J, Stacey, and Sunshine…why don't you guys work on painting? That way Alan and I can keep drawing," Chris suggested.

"Awesome! What a great idea, Chris!" Stacey responded quickly. Her voice was full of enthusiasm. 

"Sure, whatever," Sunshine replied with a shrug.

"Yeah…_great_ idea." The sarcasm was notable in J's voice.

The group moved the drawing into the hall, along with paint and brushes. Sunshine laid newspaper down on the ground and the girls put the backsplash on top of it. Ronnie walked to the far side of the paper and was closely followed by Stacey. J moved instinctively to the opposite side, placing as much distance between herself and Stacey as possible. The trio began to paint and an hour later, the picture was finished.

"You know, Ronnie, we worked _really_ well together. Maybe we should get together more often," Stacey flirted. J had the sinking suspicion she had more than studying in mind.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Sunshine said, completely unmindful of her underlying intentions.

"Well, how about tonight then? It's not a school night so we could go to a movie and maybe get some pizza afterwards. You know what? We could double date with J and Alan," she suggested.

"What about J and Alan?" Alan interjected. He and Christopher had come out into the hall halfway into Stacey's date proposal.

"Come with Sunshine and me to a movie and dinner."

"That'd be great. We'll meet you for pizza at 6 by the theater." Alan smiled.

The group moved the backdrop into the art room, cleaned up their supplies, and said their good-byes. They then went their separate ways with Alan and J heading to Alan's car and Ronnie and Chris walking Stacey to the bus dock.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! Alan, you know I don't like her! Why did you say we'd go with them tonight?" J ranted once inside the car.

"Easy, Jules. This way, you can keep an eye on her. Plus, if we refused the offer, it would be like letting her win. It'll be okay…you'll see," Alan soothed, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I hope you're right, Alan, I hope you're right…" J said, her voice a whisper.


	3. The Date, part 1

_(Some of you have read my story, and that's awesome *THANKS!* but you haven't read Forever And Beyond, the story this one is written as a part of! You muuuuuuuuust read and review FAB too! It's really, really good! I love you…please? Thanks, and enjoy!)_

            "Alan, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, do you really want to spend the next four or so hours with her?" J whined as Alan stopped the car. They were in front of Paul's Pizzeria, the place they had agreed to meet Stacey and Sunshine.

            "Jules, it's only some pizza and a movie. You don't even have to make that much conversation with her because you'll be eating and then at a movie. Besides, he's our friend and we told him we'd come."

            "You owe me sooooo much for this, Alan!"

            "Yes, honey, I do," Alan said with sweet sarcasm, "and I'll return the favor by not kicking and screaming on Saturday when you drag, er, take me to your cousin Jackie's school play. Guys and Dolls, here I come…" he sighed, then smiled.

            J unfastened her seat belt, retied her shoe, and put her hand on the door latch.

            "Fair is fair! Let's go; I'm starving. Besides, the sooner we start, the sooner it's over."

            "That's the spirit! I always knew I liked you…" Alan replied as the pair exited the car and, hand in hand, headed inside. 

***

            "Is Stacey here?" Sunshine asked. He was standing two feet from the front door of Stacey's house. She had asked him to pick her up on his way to the pizzeria.

            "Come in. She's just upstairs," Mrs. Miller replied with a smile as she opened the screen door. Sunshine was ushered inside and greeted by Rocks, the family's Husky. He bent down, took the pup's toy, and gently threw it.

            "I'm right here, Mom," Stacey responded and giggled as Rocks brought his toy back to Sunshine, "I see you've met my baby, huh? He seems to like you."

            "Yeah. Well, we should get going. We don't want to keep J and Alan waiting."

            "That's a good idea. All right Mom, we're going to grab some pizza first and then we're heading over to see a movie. We should be back around ten o'clock or so. Don't wait up!" Stacey said hurriedly as she grabbed her jacket, purse, and Sunshine's hand. She headed for the door and pulled him out with her, giving him only a second to give a quick wave good-bye to Mrs. Miller. 

            The friends headed down the driveway and were soon on their way. They arrived at the pizzeria a few minutes later. He turned to Stacey, smiled, and got out of the car. She followed suit and met him around the front of the car. She carefully linked elbows with him and the duo went inside and met their friends, who were already sitting in a corner booth drinking their sodas.

***

            Dinner was seemly uneventful, yet Sunshine's mind was reeling as the group headed to the cinema. Stacey had again linked elbows with him and was running her finger in soft, small circles on the inside of his arm.  He wasn't used to girls being as openly flirtatious as Stacey was. It wasn't something he experienced regularly and confused him thoroughly.

            'She put her arm around mine…what do I do now? What if I offend her? Do I hold her hand during the movie?' His mind was a jumble of boyish worries as he fought to keep control of his mental situation. Having dated very little, he still felt foolish and awkward around the fairer sex.

            "Sunshine?" Stacey paused. "Sunshine!" She interrupted his thoughts.

            "Huh? What?" Sunshine jumped and sheepishly turned to Stacey. 

            "Are you all right?" she questioned.

            "Oh, yeah, fine. Sorry." He felt her tighten her arm around his.

            "Come on Sunshine. If we don't hurry, we won't get seats together at the movie," Alan reminded.

            He glanced at his watch and quickened his stride. A few minutes later, the group arrived at the theater. Apparently, they were not the only people who had decided to see a movie. With only five minutes until the show began and a line roughly twenty people long to wait in, the odds of sitting together were slim.

            "Why don't you two go wait inside while Sunshine and I buy the tickets?" Alan pointed beyond the double doors to an open bench, "We'll meet you in there. There's no reason for everyone to wait in line.

            "But Alan, that's not fai--," J started, but was interrupted.

            "Great idea! That will give J and I time for some 'girl talk' and a little rest. I'm not used to walking that far, anyway," Stacey interjected with a grin.

            "If you hadn't worn those heels, you'd be fine," J mumbled under her breath. Her response was met by a glare from Alan. If looks could kill…

            With that, the girls made their way through the crowd and to the bench. J was careful to sit as far away from Stacey as humanly possible. Her dislike for Stacey did not go unnoticed, however. Both the Alan and Stacey were keenly aware of the distance J had placed between the two.

***

            "Alan? Is something going on between J and Stacey?" Sunshine stepped forward.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Well, it just seems like she's being a little, well, cold toward Stacey and I think she's starting to notice."

            "Freshman year, Stacey dated Gerry and things got messy. I don't want to affect your opinion of her, so let's leave it at that, ok?" 

            "Sure. Anyway, freshman year was a long time ago. People change. I'm sure she didn't mean for anything bad to happen. She's so nice. I really like her, Alan." Sunshine looked up, noticed Stacey waving from the bench, and returned the greeting.

            "You do?" Alan had reached the ticket counter. He bought tickets for himself and J and waited as Sunshine bought his. He saw J and Stacey in what appeared to be a confrontation of sorts and sighed.

            "Let's go," he said and the two headed for the door.

***

            "What do you have against me? You've been rude to me all night. I see the dirty looks you've given me and I _know_ you're talking about me when you mumble, so let's get right to it—what is your problem?!"

            "_My problem?_ You went out with one of my best friends, cheated on him most of the time you dated, _denied_ it, and you want to know what _my_ problem is? I don't agree with how you treated Gerry and I don't agree with whatever trick you're trying to pull on Sunshine. The only reason I came tonight is because he invited me. Whatever you're trying to do here—he's going to see through it," J was turning red in the cheeks now. Normally a very calm, good-natured person, J had been pushed to the edge.

            "What I do with the men I date is my business, McConnell, so stay out of it. Obviously, Sunshine is having a great time with me," she paused and waved to him through the glass doors, "so you can just back off. Besides, you have Alan. Sunshine's no longer your concern."

            "He's my friend so I'll involve myself whenever I see his interests compromised. Just remember that."

            The exchange of words would have continued if Alan and Sunshine, who now held tickets and sodas, had not interrupted the pair.

            "Come on, let's get seats. Hopefully we can find four together," the ladies, unfortunately, did not share Sunshine's optimism.

            "Yeah…great…" Stacey and J muttered in accord. 

            "Oh boy…" Alan responded, grabbing J's hand and steering her as far away from Stacey as he could without it being obvious to Sunshine. 

            Following the direction of the ushers, the group headed to their theater and, their fears confirmed, there weren't four seats together anywhere.


	4. The Date, part 2

**Author's Note: The author DOES NOT encourage or condone the throwing of anything at anyone at anytime for any reason and DOES NOT suggest you try this at home! ;-)**

"Now what?" J questioned. Sunshine thought he sensed a bit of relief in her voice but dismissed the idea.

            "Look over there. There are two sets seats, one set in front of the other. How about you and Alan take the upper two seats and Sunshine and I take the lower two? That way, we're still kind of together," Stacey suggested.

            "Well, that's the best option. I guess we'll see you after the movie."

            On that note, the couples headed to their seats. Once they were situated, J pulled a jumbo bag of Gummy Bears out of her pocket and offered them to Alan. He laughed, took a handful, and offered J his water, which she gladly accepted.

            "Watch out for the orange ones…they're disgusting," J warned.

            "So you're prejudiced against the poor orange bears? What did they ever do to you?" he joked. His humor earned him a playful punch as the lights dimmed and the movie began.

***

            About halfway through the movie, Alan was happily resting his arm around J's shoulder, a move that had surprised them _both_ at first. In her lap lay the snack bag containing the remaining carrot-colored Gummy Bears.

"I'm getting another soda…be right back," Alan whispered in her ear. He made his way through the row and soon disappeared from her sight. This was J's first opportunity to watch Stacey and Sunshine. She was curious about what they had been doing. As she glanced from the screen, she noticed Stacey slowly leaning toward Sunshine.

            'She's going to kiss him!' she thought, almost in a panic. She quickly grabbed the bag from her lap, reached in, and pulled out a few Gummy Bears. Without much thought, she hurled a few at Stacey's head, then tossed the "evidence" in the pocket of her sweatshirt. J focused intently on the screen.

            "What the---" Stacey's head jerked around and she scanned the theater, looking for the culprit. It was too dark and she turned back around, mumbling under her breath.

            J continued to stare at the screen, trying not to laugh. Her idea had worked! Not only had she prevented Stacey from kissing Sunshine, but had also gotten a little revenge in the process. She smiled, happy with herself, until she noticed Stacey start to make her move again. 

            'Why won't she give up?!' J sighed and reached again for her ammunition. This time, she threw almost double what she had originally. Stacey was more alert this time and turned around in time to see J stashing the bag. Rage flashed in her eyes as she mouthed a message to J, but the theater was too dusky for her to make out what she was saying.

            Luckily, Alan returned then. His presence seemed to break up the "powwow" the girls were having. The tension did not go unnoticed, however.

            "What was that about?" he questioned.

            "I'll explain it later, just watch the movie," she replied

            "Do you have any more of those Gummy Bears? I'm a little hungry," Alan quipped.

            "Only a few little orange ones."

            "What happened to the rest of them?"

            "Don't ask, Alan…don't ask!"


	5. Foiled Again!

            "Alan, what did you think about the movie?" Sunshine inquired.

            "It was good, but I think I missed a big part when I got that soda," Alan smiled, "I was a little confused."

            "Yeah, but it wasn't a huge part," J responded.

            "Ha! What about you, Stacey?"

            "Well, the film was okay, but _someone_ behind me started throwing things at me during the movie," she complained. 

            "That _would_ explain the orange Gummy Bear stuck in the hood of your jacket…" Sunshine's grin faded as Stacey shot him a look that seemed to freeze the room.

            "Let's just go," she angrily commanded. On that note, the couples separated and headed for home.

***

            Alan and J were halfway to J's house when he suggested they stop for some ice cream. Finding it incredibly sweet, J agreed. The pair soon found themselves in the back booth of Benjee's. J worked on filling Alan in on the part of the movie he had missed while they polished off their ice cream.

            "J, did you have anything to do with the whole Gummy Bear escapade?"

            "I didn't have choice, Alan!" J responded in her defense.

            "Jules! Why did you throw stuff at her?!" Alan sighed.

            "She was trying to kiss Sunshine! I had to stop her! I couldn't let her use him like that! He didn't even notice she was going to do it! She was only trying to make me angry!" J's checks had begun to grow rosy as she became more and more livid.

            "But sweetie, you let her win! Don't you see? She wanted to get you angry and she did," he comforted, sliding his arm around her shoulders for the second time that night. "Don't let her get the best of you, ok?"

            "I won't, but I'm not going to let her hurt him either."

***

            "I can't believe this!" Stacey, obviously furious, had begun ranting as soon as she and Sunshine were safely in the car. 

            "It's okay. I mean, kids do those kinds of things…just relax, please," he replied, trying to calm her down. Unfortunately, his words were of little comfort to her and she continued.

            "C'mon, Sunshine! Did you notice any kids around us? There weren't any! J threw them. She had Gummy Bears with her."

            "Why would J throw Gummy Bears at you? I mean, if she did, it was probably a joke – she likes to joke around!" Sunshine tried to rationalize his friend's actions.

            "She wasn't joking. I tried to be nice to her because she's _your friend_ and I got pelted with little orange bears in return!"

            Sunshine tried to stifle his laughter but was unsuccessful. 

            "You think this is funny?! That's it, Sunshine! It's her or me! I can't take this kind of stuff, _especially_ not from that witch. Either you're friends with her or you date me…it can't be both ways!" Stacey glared at him, her look intent on receiving an answer right away. Sunshine, however, took a minute to digest the situation.

            "You don't know J like I do – don't call her a witch."

            "I know her well enough to know it's not going to work out between us if you and her are friends," Stacey stood her ground.

"I can't believe you would ask me to do that, Stacey. She's one of my best friends. There has to be another way to fix this 'problem'. We don't have to go on dates with J and Alan if you don't like J. I'm willing to agree with that, but I won't stop hanging out with my friend. I just can't do that." He was torn.

"There aren't any other solutions, Sunshine!"

"Then maybe this isn't going to work," he said. He wasn't sure where that had come from, but he knew it was the truth.

"HER?! I can't believe you, Sunshine!" 

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Sunshine toiled with commenting and ran through what he would say a half-dozen times. Each time he would build up enough courage, though, he would look over and see Stacey stone-faced and decide it was better to just leave the situation as it was.

He pulled up in front of her house and looked over.

"Stacey, I…" 

"Don't!" She interrupted, "Just don't." With that, she got out of the car, slammed the door, and rushed toward the house. 

Sighing, Sunshine started the car again and headed for home.


	6. The Confrontation

            _Beep! Beep!_

            Sunshine rolled over and looked at the clock. Noticing it read 5:35, he half-consciously pulled a pillow over his head. He had been agonizing over his date with Stacey late into the night and was feeling the effects of it now.

_            Beep! Beep!_

            Sighing, he groggily attempted to make his way to the bathroom, stubbing his toe in the process. He eventually found his way to the shower and, 20 minutes later, was slightly more alert. Sunshine's thoughts kept drifting back to the night before.

'Wow…dumped by two girls in less than two weeks…" he thought. "That's gotta be some kind of record. Oh well, I guess that means I'm back to square one."

That thought rolling around in his head, he walked to his car, got in, and made his way to school.

***

            "Sunshine seems out of it today," J said to Alan. They had been enjoying lunch in the courtyard when Sunshine had sauntered by. The couple had called to him, but he kept walking.

            "Maybe he's just having a bad day," Alan responded, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun.

            "Go talk to him! Find out!"

            "Jules, I'd do a lot of things for you, but it's not my place."

            "_Please?_" she was begging now, and Alan knew it.

            "Honey…"

            "Fine! I'll ask him myself!" she remarked. Determined to see what was bothering her friend, J strode purposefully over to where Sunshine was resting.

            "What's wrong?" she blurted out.

            "Hello to you, too," he responded, showing the beginnings of a smile. "Nothing. I'm just not feeling like being social right now."

            "Why not? What happened?"

            "Don't worry about it."

            "Tell me!" J demanded. She was not about to let one of her close friends sit alone sulking.

            Sunshine was torn between being honest with her and continuing to deny things. On one hand, he didn't want to lie to her. On the other, though, he didn't want her to feel like it was her fault that things between him and Stacey hadn't worked. After all, it was his decision…

            "Hello? Sunshine? What's with you today?" she interrupted his thoughts.

            "Things didn't work out between Stacey and I," he revealed.

            "What happened? Things seemed fine between you two when we left the movies."

            "She decided it wasn't going to work out unless I made some, uh, changes to my, er, personality," he stumbled over his words.

            "There is_ nothing_ wrong with your personality! She's even shallower than I first thought! You're better off without her!" J shouted, clearly outraged.

            "It's okay, J…" he started.

            "No, it's not, Sunshine – no it's not."

            Something wasn't as it should be, and J sensed it. She returned to Alan, a plan already forming in her mind. She was going to find out what Stacey's problem was and fix her – fast.

***

            J wandered around school after the final dismissal bell had rung. She knew she could find Stacey before she went to cheerleading practice. Not entirely sure what she was going to say but knowing she couldn't leave things as they were, J rounded a corner and ran into Stacey – literally.

            "Excus---" Stacey started, then stopped when she noticed J.

            "We need to talk."

            "About what? I can't imagine what would concern both you and myself," Stacey rattled off in her snobbish manner. 

            "Sunshine," J informed her.

            "What about him?"

            "How about we start with what your problem with him seems to be?" J turned so that she had Stacey trapped between herself and a wall.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Don't play this game with me…I talked to him! He told me how you had a problem with his personality and _that's _why you broke things off. So what was it, huh? His sweet disposition get to you!? His sense of humor too much for you to handle?!" J was irate and not afraid to vocalize it. She moved slightly closer to Stacey.

            "Are you kidding me? Sunshine's an amazing person! He's one of the nicest guys around," Stacey looked genuinely taken back.

            "Then why did you do it?"

            "Look, McConnell, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't appreciate you confronting me like this," Stacey responded, pushing J away from her. "My problem wasn't with Sunshine – it was with you! I find you impossible to be around, annoying, stubborn, rude…"

            "Look, I get it – you don't like me. Why did you break up with Sunshine?"

            "After the night we had on that double date with you and Alan, I told him what I thought of you and gave him an ultimatum…you or me. Obviously, I lost."

            "Stacey, that was a horrible thing to do to him, and you know it. You really hurt him. I hope you're satisfied with what you've done. You're missing out," she took a step toward Stacey, forcing her against the wall again. "I'm going to be keeping an eye on you."

            With that, J turned on her heel and walked away, astounded at how angry she had allowed herself to become. She was also surprised that Sunshine had chosen her over his date. J got into her car and headed to Sunshine's house.

_**the author in NO WAY encourages violence and asks that none of the things mentioned here be used to solve any conflicts!!**_


	7. Confessions

            "Good evening, Colonel Bass. Is Ronnie home?" J questioned.

            "He's upstairs, Julianna. Come in and I'll get him," he opened the door and invited her to wait on the couch.

            Colonel Bass was the only person, her father aside, that she allowed to call her Julianna. To her, it felt almost disrespectful to go by anything else in his presence. He simply commanded respect. 

            'What am I going to say to him?' she wondered. 'I mean, what do you say to someone who gives up a relationship for your friendship?'

            Her thoughts were interrupted by Sunshine's appearance at the bottom of the wooden staircase.

            "Hey," he responded as he sunk comfortably into a nearby chair.

            "Hi Sunshine."

            "What are you doing here?"

            Sensing the weight of the comment, Colonel Bass pointed toward the kitchen and excused himself. As he crossed the room, Sunshine rose from his chair and stood until his father was out of the room. His vision then switched to J, who was looking up at him with amusement.

            "Sorry – force of habit," he answered sheepishly.

            "Don't worry about it. Listen, about Stacey…" she started.

            "Look, J, I'm fine, really. She just couldn't accept my personality..."

            "I talked to her," she interjected.

            "You did? When?" Sunshine looked bewildered and apprehensive.

            "Earlier today. Why didn't you tell me she broke things off because of me? Sunshine, you shouldn't have to suffer because someone has problems with something I did."

            "J, she asked me to choose between you and her. Anyone who is worth dating won't make me decide between two people."

            "But you really seemed to hit it off," J reminded.

            "You are more important," Sunshine commented after a slight pause.

            "Even after everything that happened between us?"

            "Of course! It's not your fault you aren't attracted to me like you are to Alan," Sunshine sighed through his smile. J offered an embarrassed smile of her own and realized how passive she had become. She took a moment to collect herself.

            "It's not that I'm not attracted to you…" she joked.

            "J, I know that. You don't have to defend your actions with me."

            "I wasn't trying to!"

            "Yeah, ok!" he joked. Sunshine knew J had changed the subject because she didn't like the "mushy stuff", but that was okay with him - he knew what she was trying to say.

            "I really appreciate you 'giving up' Stacey for our friendship, Sunshine," J replied, surprised at how resigned she had become. 

            Sunshine looked taken back for a minute. He wasn't used to seeing this side of J. He walked over and offered her a hug.

            J was happily surprised and accepted without giving it a second thought. 

            "Anytime, J, anytime…" his voice trailed off as J saw the softer side of Sunshine. 


End file.
